


monster

by amuk



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/F, Fear, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection, Missing Scene, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:42:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25619815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amuk/pseuds/amuk
Summary: The Wandering beast. Maurice. Defeating him had done little to dispel Marianne’s fears and if anything, just confirmed them: she could turn into a beast at any moment. Luckily, Hilda knew the best way to deal with fear.
Relationships: Marianne von Edmund/Hilda Valentine Goneril
Comments: 5
Kudos: 52





	monster

**Author's Note:**

> For the Marianne: Survivor of the Curse zine—the end of Marianne’s paralogue never sat right with me and I took this chance to fix it. And do a little MariHilda, as a treat.

_Finally, this nightmare of a thousand years is at its end. Oh, Inheritor of my crest…_

Seated on a log, Marianne stared at the crackling fire, watching as the flames leapt higher and higher. Against the night sky, the dark smoke was almost impossible to notice except for the patches of stars hidden behind the smog. Not that she minded. For once, nature couldn’t distract her from her problems.

No, her mind was stuck on the last words of her supposed ancestor, of the beast who had terrorized entire villages. No, not _supposed_ , not anymore. Marianne looked beside her, where the Blutgang lay on the ground. Its sharp edges gleamed in the pale light. That was the sword of a hero. That was the sword of her family. That monster had been her ancestor, whether she liked it or not.

This realization left an unsettled sensation in the pit of her stomach. It had been easy enough to ignore it in the heat of battle, when she had been surrounded on all sides by monsters. In a life or death fight, Marianne hadn’t thought too hard about just what she was slaying. About _who_ they were. Now that she was alone in the chilly night, it was harder to ignore the facts. Miklan had turned into a beast. Who was to say that the monsters there hadn’t been her kin, doomed to follow Maurice for eternity? Who was to say that one day she wouldn’t join them as well, the cursed blood flowing within her transforming her overnight?

Despite the fire, she couldn’t stop shivering.

“There you are!” Marianne looked up as Hilda eagerly plopped on the log next to her. Rubbing her arms, she sighed. “Brrr, it’s so cold! I can’t believe we have to camp _here_ of all places. Sure, we killed those monsters, but who knows what else’ll pop out?” Grumpy and put out, she puffed her cheeks. “Honestly, what is the professor thinking?”

Squashing her fears, Marianne forced a smile. “It’s too late to go back.”

“I know, I know. But still.” Hilda sighed once more before shifting closer to Marianne. “It’s just so—”

Unconsciously, Marianne recoiled. It wasn’t a big move, but it was enough for Hilda’s arm to bump into the air, for Marianne’s body to stiffen. They stared at each other for a long minute and Marianne immediately flushed. “I-I didn’t mean to—”

Hilda dropped her smile, her expression serious. “Is something wrong?”

“No…” Marianne trailed off helplessly. She didn’t want to bring it up. She shouldn’t bring it up. It wasn’t a problem anyone could do anything about, and why make Hilda worry over it? “It’s, um, it’s nothing.”

“It’s okay.” Despite the smile she wore now, Hilda’s expression remained serious. She didn’t move any closer, though she also didn’t move away and Marianne’s heart did a funny flip-flop at that. “What’s wrong?”

“I…I just…” Marianne swallowed. It was just her problem, but if her time at the academy, her time with the Golden Deer had taught her anything, it was that problems were meant to be shared. They had all come here, for no other reason than to support her. Wasn’t it time she showed some trust back? She had vowed, on that day in the rubble, to become strong. To never run away from herself again. To take the hands reaching out for her. Steeling herself, Marianne mumbled, “Maurice…”

“What about him?” Hilda asked ever so gently but still so firmly. She had always been like that, insistent and pushy and always making sure Marianne was a part of things, that Marianne always said what she needed to.

It was no different now. Marianne stared at her hands as she spoke, the words tumbling out of her like water off a cliff. “Maurice, he was, um, my ancestor, right? And he was that…that monster. My crest, it was _his_. I might turn into a monster like him.”

“Who said that?” Hilda asked, and Marianne could hear the threat in her voice.

“No one,” Marianne quickly blurted, preventing a murder. She dug her finger into her legs. “No one in particular. Just…maybe I’ll turn into a beast too. Maybe my parents did.”

There was a long silence. Marianne kept her eyes glued to her thighs, too scared to look up. Would it be worse to see pity or fear? Kindness could be cruel too and she knew her fair share of that.

“You know, you’re warm.” Before Marianne could react, there was a warm weight on her shoulder, a heavy arm wrapped around her waist. “Perfect for a night like this.”

“Hilda!” she hissed, stiffening as she looked down at the head on her shoulder. Just when had Hilda closed that gap? She had never been fast. Squirming, she tried to escape but Hilda’s grip was too tight. “What are you doing?”

“You’re warm,” Hilda repeated, looking up at her. “And you’re the perfect height for a nap.”

Sitting ramrod straight, Marianne stared at her, not sure what to do. “Hilda, I’m serious.”

“So am I.” Hilda’s long, pink hair tickled Marianne’s neck. “You’re not just warm, though. You’re also clumsy and kind and so earnest that it sometimes takes my breath away.” She leaned forward slightly, pressing a kiss against her shoulder. “And you’re so very human.”

Marianne’s voice hitched and she almost forgot how to breathe, let alone speak. Ignoring the tingle running up her spine, she clenched her jaw. “For now. I could change. Miklan did. My parents—”

“You don’t know what happened to them,” Hilda interrupted. This close, Marianne could feel the vibrations as she spoke. “And Miklan didn’t have a crest. You do.”

“Maurice had a crest,” Marianne pointed out quietly. His voice had sounded like a rusty nail, like the creaks of an abandoned home. A thousand years of loneliness could be her future and maybe it was preferable to be a mindless monster instead.

“It could be something else. I thought Claude banned us from assumptions?” Hilda paused, her hand digging into Marianne’s side. “Besides, even if that is the case, we’ll save you. You’re one of us, right?”

Marianne wanted to believe. She wanted to lean into that touch, to accept Hilda’s warmth. “And what if you can’t? Could you…” she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

Immediately, Hilda snorted. “ _Hello_ , Byleth went through, what, five impossible things?”

“Hilda—”

“If you want a mercy kill, I’m not doing it. We’ll save you, somehow.” Hilda sat up straighter, looking Marianne straight in the eyes. “We _will_.”

It sounded like a fact coming from Hilda. As though there was no other possibility. “Really?” Marianne whispered.

“I might not do it myself, but have you ever seen me _not_ get something done?” Hilda leaned forward and hugged her. “You’ll be fine. Promise.”

And maybe she would—whatever happened, Hilda would be there. And that was more than enough. Marianne leaned into her embrace, soaking in Hilda’s warmth. She finally relaxed, burying her face in Hilda’s neck.

“But you better not live to be a thousand,” Hilda added playfully. “It’ll cost you a fortune in anti-aging cream.”

Marianne laughed, a wet sound that immediately got muffled by a mess of pink hair.


End file.
